One inning after reaching a career milestone, senior C.J. Kessler
of the Muhlenberg baseball team was involved in another notable play that
ended Mules 15-13 loss to Beloit on Wednesday night.

Muhlenberg came back after being down 11-1 and had the bases loaded with
two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Junior Chad Hegstrom ripped a
ground ball between first and second that would have tied the game easily,
but Kessler had no chance to get out of the way and was called out for
interference when the ball struck him.

In the eighth, Kessler stroked a two-run single for his 100th career hit.
He is the 25th player in team history to reach the century mark.

The Mules were able to climb back into the game thanks to the long relief
pitching of freshman Paul Faith, who struck out five in 4.2 innings
and kept the Buccaneers (4-3) off the board in the fourth, fifth and
sixth.
Muhlenberg scored three runs in the fifth when freshman Joe Carlo
circled the bases after the centerfielder misplayed his single, then added
two more in the sixth on sophomore Pete Oris third
two-run double in two days.

Kesslers milestone hit got the Mules to within one, at 13-12, after
eight, but Beloit added two huge runs in the top of the ninth.

Hegstrom went 4-for-6, raising his team-leading batting average to .474,
and also threw out two runners at home plate from right field. Carlo
recorded
his first career four-hit game, and junior Matt Tobia had three
hits, including an RBI double.

Muhlenberg pounded out 20 hits to raise its team batting average to a
robust .365.

Junior Kristina Cartolano pitched 4.2 scoreless relief innings and
drove in four runs to lead the Muhlenberg softball team to a solid 7-3 win
against Staten Island in the first of the Mules two games on their

In addition to earning half of the Mules six
wins, Cartolano is 8-for-12 with seven RBI at the plate.

last day at the Rebel Spring Games at Kissimmee, Fla.

Muhlenberg (6-3) hung tough in its final game, falling 6-2 to
fourth-ranked Muskingum.

The Mules first opponent was no slouch, either, having reached the
NCAA Tournament last year. After the Dolphins hit a three-run homer in the
bottom of the third to break a scoreless tie, Cartolano came in from the
bullpen and shut them down the rest of the way. She allowed only two hits
and struck out three to improve to 3-0 on the season.

Cartolano helped Muhlenberg get back in the game by singling in one of two
runs in the fourth. In the fifth, junior Missy DeFrain began a
rally with a single for the second straight inning. Subsequent singles by
juniors
Tara DeMarzo and Lindsay Ruhling brought in the tying run,
and after a walk loaded the bases, Cartolano unloaded them with triple.

Senior Kadie Serfass scored an insurance run on a groundout in the
sixth after leading off with a single.

Muskingum threatened to turn the second game into a rout, belting three
home runs to take a 5-0 lead into the middle of the fourth. With freshman
Katie Vecchione in from the bullpen to slow down the Muskingum
bats, the Mules
battled back against the Muskies All-America pitcher, who led all of
Division III with 38 wins last year.

Four singles, the last by Cartolano, plated one run in the fourth. The
next inning, Serfass walked and scored on a DeFrain single.

The Mules had many chances, but left the bases loaded in the fourth,
and stranded two runners in both the fifth and sixth.